Litigation Division

The Office of the Corporation Counsel provides legal representation on behalf of the County of Hawai‘i, its officers, representatives and employees in resolving disputes such as lawsuits, arbitration, mediation and claims, filed against the County of Hawai‘i and its officers, representatives and employees.

Counseling and Drafting Division

The Counseling and Drafting Division of the Office of the Corporation Counsel advises all departments, boards, agencies, and commissions on legal matters, which impact that particular County entity. The Division drafts appropriate legislation for consideration by the County Council or the State Legislature. The Division also provides legal representation on behalf of the County of Hawai‘i in administrative proceedings, including contested case hearings and agency appeals.

ATTORNEYS

JOSEPH K. KAMELAMELA - We strive to create, sustain and improve our workplace environment to be healthy, happy and hopeful.

Lerisa L. Heroldt - Litigation

LERISA L. HEROLDT is a member of the Litigation Division.

Ms. Heroldt graduated from Punahou School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Zoology from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, where she graduated cum laude.

Prior to joining the Office of the Corporation Counsel, Ms. Heroldt was in private practice with the law firm of Alston Hunt Floyd and Ing in Honolulu, where she handled all aspects of state and federal court litigation in areas such as business torts, class actions, constitutional and civil rights, insurance coverage and bad faith litigation, employment law, personal injury, title defense and medical malpractice.

Ms. Heroldt has been licensed to practice in the State of Hawai‘i since 2001. She is also admitted to appear before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States District Court for the District of Hawai‘i. She is a member of the Hawai‘i State Bar Association and joined the West Hawai‘i Bar Association in 2016.

Malia Hall - Counseling & Drafting

MALIA HALL is a member of the counseling and drafting division.

Ms. Hall graduated from Maui High School and received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Hawaiian Studies from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, where she was an executive board member of the Women’s Law Association and Public Interest Law Committee. While at Southwestern, she was a recipient of the Southwestern Public Interest Law Service Award and Wiley M. Manuel Certificate.

D. Kaena Horowitz - Litigation

KAENA HOROWITZ is a member of the Litigation division.

He graduated from Richardson Law School at UH Manoa and worked in private practice, where he focused primarily on drafting, negotiating, and litigating contracts and business transactions; as well as consumer protection and tort litigation.

He also coached competitive swimming and enjoys writing haiku:

Counsel and writer Serving the community Resolving disputes.

Michael S. Kagami - Litigation

MICHAEL KAGAMI is a member of the Litigation division.

He has a BBA in accounting from UH-Manoa and a JD from Richardson Law School. He was previously a Deputy Prosecutor for twenty years and a Deputy Attorney General for three years.

Ronald Kim - Counseling & Drafting

RONALD KIM is a member of the counseling and drafting division.

Mr. Kim received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Gonzaga University with a major in History and minors in International Relations and Speech Communications. Mr. Kim received his Juris Doctorate Degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa with an Environmental Law Program Certificate and Pacific Asian Legal Studies Certificate.

Following graduation from law school Mr. Kim clerked for then Honorable Judge Craig H. Nakamura (who is presently Chief Judge) at the Intermediate Court of Appeals for the State of Hawai‘i. Mr. Kim subsequently engaged in the practice of law with several different private firms in Honolulu for over a decade before joining the Office of Corporation Counsel. While in private practice Mr. Kim handled and assisted in a wide variety of litigation and transactional matters.

Mr. Kim is a member of the Hawai‘i State and Hawai‘i County Bar Associations.

Laureen L. Martin - Administration/Litigation

LAUREEN L. MARTIN is the Section Chief for the Litigation Division.

Ms. Martin received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts at Boston in Business Administration with a minor in Economics. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk University where she graduated cum laude and was the recipient of the American Jurisprudence Awards in Products Liability, Criminal Law and Real Estate Transactions.

Prior to working for the County of Hawai‘i, Ms. Martin worked for the Department of the Corporation Counsel for the County of Maui where she was assigned to litigation and handled a variety of cases, including motor vehicle accidents, roadway defects and cases alleging excessive force. Prior to working for the government, Ms. Martin was in private practice specializing in personal injury matters.

Ms. Martin has been licensed to practice law in the State of Hawai‘i since 1993. She is also admitted to appear before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States District Court for the District of Hawai‘i.

Ms. Martin is a member of the Hawai‘i State Bar Association and the Hawai‘i County Bar Association.

Craig T. Masuda - Administration/Counseling & Drafting

CRAIG T. MASUDA is the Section Chief for the Counseling and Drafting Division.

Mr. Masuda is a graduate of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and received his Juris Doctorate degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law. Prior to his tenure at the Office of the Corporation Counsel, Mr. Masuda was a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu and the County of Hawai‘i.

John Mukai - Litigation

JOHN MUKAI is a member of the Litigation Division.

Mr. Mukai received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Kansas School of Law. Mr. Mukai is licensed to practice in Hawai‘i and admitted to appear before the United States District Court for the District of Hawai‘i.

Prior to joining the Office of the Corporation Counsel team, Mr. Mukai was a Deputy Corporation Counsel in the City and County of Honolulu, where he practiced primarily in the areas of labor/employment.

Andrew D. Son - Litigation

ANDREW D. SON is a member of the Litigation division.

Mr. Son received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biological Sciences from the University of California at Irvine, and a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, California.

Mr. Son was a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the County of Hawai‘i’s Office of the Prosecuting Attorney for six years and was also in private practice with the law firm of Carlsmith Ball LLP’s Hilo Office.

Mr. Son has been licensed to practice law in the State of Hawai‘i since 2006 and the State of California since 2002.

Renee N.C. Schoen - Administration/Counseling & Drafting

RENEE N.C. SCHOEN is the Assistant Corporation Counsel and a member of the Counseling and Drafting Division.

Ms. Schoen graduated from the Kamehameha Schools, received her Bachelors of Science degree from Santa Clara University, and her Juris Doctorate degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law.

Prior to joining the Office of the Corporation Counsel, Ms. Schoen worked with the Office of the Attorney General handling tort litigation, civil rights and third-party lien recovery cases. Ms. Schoen also worked with the Office of the Public Defender handling criminal defense cases. Ms. Schoen was also in private practice with the law firm of Chee & Markham where she handled personal injury and insurance defense cases.

Ms. Schoen has been licensed to practice in the State of Hawai‘i since 1993. She is admitted to appear before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the United States District Court for the District of Hawai‘i, and is a member of the Hawai‘i State Bar Association and the Hawai‘i County Bar Association.

Amy G. Self - Counseling & Drafting

AMY G. SELF is a member of the Counseling and Drafting Division.

Ms. Self received a Bachelor of Science degree from Appalachian State University, a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and a Juris Doctor degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Ms. Self is licensed to practice in Hawai‘i and admitted to appear before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States District Court for the District of Hawai‘i.

Prior to joining the Office of the Corporation Counsel team, Ms. Self was in private practice with the law firm of Carlsmith Ball LLP in the Honolulu office and later in the Hilo office where she practiced primarily in the areas of labor/employment and land use. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Self worked as a paralegal at the firm of Carlsmith Ball LLP in Honolulu, at the Maui County Office of the Corporation Counsel and at the Legal Aid Office on Maui.

Ms. Self is a member of the Hawai‘i State Bar Association and the Hawai‘i County Bar Association and is currently serving as the treasurer for the Hilo Bayfront Trails Inc., a Hawai‘i nonprofit corporation created to build a multi-use trail through Downtown Hilo through private donations and grants.

Keyra K. Wong - Counseling & Drafting

KEYRA K. WONG is a member of the Counseling and Drafting Division. .

She received her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon. During law school, she clerked in the appeals division for the County of Maui Department of Prosecuting Attorney and at the State of Oregon Appellate Commissioner’s Office handling various motions and drafting orders. She also focused on land use issues while clerking at the Land Use Board of Appeals in Salem, Oregon and subsequently at Clackamas County Counsel in Oregon City, Oregon.

Prior to joining Corporation Counsel, she clerked for the Hon. Valeri L. Love at the Lane County Circuit Court in Eugene, Oregon. She assisted Judge Love in juvenile, criminal, and civil matters. She is licensed to practice law in Hawai`i and Oregon and is admitted to appear before the United State District Court of the District of Hawai`i. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, going to the beach, and spending time with her husband and senior dog, Sadie.

Jessica Yeh - Counseling & Drafting

JESSICA YEH is a member of the Counseling and Drafting Division.

She received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. Prior to law school, she did buying and planning for Macy’s at their corporate office in San Francisco. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, where she received a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law. Subsequently, she clerked for the Honorable Glenn S. Hara of the Third Circuit Court.

Prior to joining Corporation Counsel, Ms. Yeh worked as a senior legal analyst for Thomson Reuters in Portland, Oregon, where she focused on providing legal research and testing for their indirect tax software. She is licensed to practice law Hawaii, Oregon, and California. In her free time, she enjoys surfing, snowboarding, hiking, and baking.

J Yoshimoto - Counseling & Drafting

J YOSHIMOTO is a member of the Counseling and Drafting Division.

Mr. Yoshimoto graduated from Hilo High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law and has been licensed to practice law in Hawai‘i since 1992.

Prior to joining the Office of the Corporation Counsel, Mr. Yoshimoto worked for the State of Hawai‘i as a Deputy Attorney General in Hilo. He serves as an Arbitrator for the Court Annexed Arbitration Program and is a member of the Hawai‘i State Bar Association and Hawai‘i County Bar Association.

Private Secretary

Cathy Ferreira - Private Secretary

Cathy has established a 35 year career with the Office of the Corporation Counsel, working her way up from Clerk Stenographer to Supervising Legal Technician. She also briefly served as Secretary to the Liquor Commission and the Liquor Adjudication Board with the Department of Liquor.

Cathy is well known for her loyal public service and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her department. She is a graduate of Hilo High School, earned both an A.S. Degree in Secretarial Science and Paralegal Certificate from the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

In her free time she enjoys working out at the “Dungeon” (gym), quiet dinners with her husband, Paul and venturing out with her three grandsons, Damian, Anthony and Kenneth.